The Parable of the Lost Sheep^(A)

15 Then ^(B)all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him.

^15 (A)This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that ^(B)Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.

^29 (A)Then Levi gave Him a great feast in his own house. And ^(B)there were a great number of tax collectors and others who sat down with them. ^30 [a]And their scribes and the Pharisees ^[b]complained against His disciples, saying, ^(C)“Why do You eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”

³¹ Jesus answered and said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. ^32 (D)I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”

^10 (A)Now it happened, as Jesus sat at the table in the house, that behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Him and His disciples. ¹¹ And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to His disciples, “Why does your Teacher eat with ^(B)tax collectors and ^(C)sinners?”

¹² When Jesus heard that, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. ¹³ But go and learn what this means: ^(D)‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, ^(E)but sinners, ^[a]to repentance.”

The Parable of the Two Sons

²⁸ “But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, ‘Son, go, work today in my ^(A)vineyard.’ ²⁹ He answered and said, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he regretted it and went. ³⁰ Then he came to the second and said likewise. And he answered and said, ‘I go, sir,’ but he did not go. ³¹ Which of the two did the will of his father?”

They said to Him, “The first.”

Jesus said to them, ^(B)“Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you.

²⁷ Again, ^(A)when a wicked man turns away from the wickedness which he committed, and does what is lawful and right, he preserves himself alive.

²⁰ Moreover ^(A)the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace ^(B)abounded much more,

²⁹ And when all the people heard Him, even the tax collectors ^[a]justified God, ^(A)having been baptized with the baptism of John.

^30 (A)And indeed there are last who will be first, and there are first who will be last.”